Ashes to Ashes
by Athtor
Summary: Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it...rnUPDATE! and there will be more of a plot soon too! read and review please!
1. Prolouge

Prologue

Dust sifted through the window in a slow, lazy motion. It lingered in the air longer than it should have, making the small form crouched on the floor cough. The sound was repressed, but sharp and striking. The mist surrounding the building seemed almost alive as it swirled at the sudden noise. The girl looked up in fear, listening for any slight sounds to indicate that she had betrayed her position. No, the silence of the glen was complete. She settled back into her chair with a relieved sigh. There was nothing out there.

Ironically enough, no one heard the cough, but a lone figure did hear the sigh. About to pass by the small cottage, seemingly uninhabited, the figured began to move towards it. Moonlight filtered through the trees, glinting on the teeth revealed by the advancing figure's grin. As it approached the cottage, the form drew out two wickedly sharp knives. With a short laugh that made the occupants blood freeze, the door was kicked off of its hinges to fall nosily to the floor. At this sound, other creatures in the forest began to move towards the commotion. But of course, it was already too late. Upon their arrival, a silhouette stood against the full moon, briefly illuminated as a vastly tall, vaguely human shape, before it vanished with a triumphant howl.

There was some scattered murmuring among the remaining figures in the glen. No one wanted to be the first to enter the cottage; who knew what could be lurking in there? Aside, of course, from the body of the heir to the throne of Mar'ia, the clan of immortal witches who now made their living by aiding their mortal kin in eliminating the creatures that ran rampant after dusk. The current leader had made the decision to join the "crusade against darkness", as the heralds had taken to calling it, against the advice of his counselors and advisors. After centuries of seclusion in the vast, unexplored regions of forest in northern Europe, the Mar'ia clan had at last stepped out of legend and into reality, joining the ever- growing battle against other immortal creatures, ones with intentions less pure than that of the witches.

The decision, while for the most part opposed, was not a surprising one; after all, the lines of t he mortal witches had been born of one of their number, Match. However, to become actively involved in such a battle had been viewed as too risky by most of the court. But Malvin, Head of the Clan, would not be persuaded against his rash action. His wife Helen had been the victim of a vampire soon after the birth of their daughter, Elise, whose body was undoubtedly lying in the cottage before them. Thirsty for revenge, Malvin had answered the pleas of his brethren in the west for assistance against such creatures. As things stood now, however, it seemed as though the Mar'ia had bitten off more than they could chew. The immortals in the area against whom the Mar'ia now fought had responded with instant malevolence, attacking the hunting parties the Mar'ia sent out and killing any who strayed too far from their village. In recent times, however, the fighting had escalated to the point of outright attacks on the city itself, and Malvin, fearing for his daughter's life, had sent her into the woods for her protection. Whomever- or whatever- had killed her must have found the situation very humorous, giving the barking laugh just before the killing. But now, the scouting party that was to have guarded her had to retrieve the body, and explain to Malvin that his only offspring was dead.

Finally, Aravac, the head of the party, stepped forward. Cautiously, he entered the hut and looked around. No lights had been allowed for fear of betraying the heir's position, and it took him awhile to adjust to the gloomy interior of the building after the brilliant moonlight outside the cottage. Approaching the chair, he glanced about just long enough to confirm his fears: Elise lay sprawled on the floor, eyes unseeing as she gazed at the ceiling. With a shudder, he left the grim scene behind him, the others following him back into the dark forest where the night swallowed all trace of the group.

**(Later)**

Malvin slammed his fist onto the desk as he listened to Aravac's report. Tears of rage and sorrow dripped unnoticed down his rough cheeks.

"Must they take everything? Every last thing I hold dear?"

Aravac looked worried, and not without reason. Since the death of his wife, his actions had grown increasingly unpredictable, and no one knew what would set off his wrath next. Aravac felt that he was the next victim of his king's anger, and yet he also felt he thoroughly deserved it. With a bowed head, he waited for the king's anger to unfold.

To his surprise, the king said nothing. He merely stared beyond Aravac, at the door to the library where he had been working. Turning, Aravac noticed a figure in a long blue gown standing at the doorway. Black hair fell in spirals around her face, which was tan and flushed with an emotion Aravac could not recognize. Her beautiful form commanded attention as much as her unusual eyes did, the color was a blue so deep and perfect that Aravac almost lost sight of the room around him as he gazed at her. Removing the cloak she had been wearing and folding it neatly over her arm, the woman approached the king's desk. Moving with catlike grace, she came to a halt before him and folded her hands in front of herself neatly.

"Beg pardon, majesty, but I heard of your troubles and felt the need to offer my assistance, if you will take it." The woman spoke, or sang really; for her voice was musical and lilting, with a strange accent that caused her to draw her vowels together ever so slightly.

"Your assistance?" Malvin whispered, in a haunted sounding voice. "What assistance could you possibly offer?"

The woman smiled secretly to herself, then replied, "More assistance than you know, Majesty. I can defeat the creatures who plague your lands with ease. I can help you rebuild this land into a stronger realm, and land of peace and plenty. I could even" she leaned closer, and the last words were whispered in a voice with less strength but somehow more power than she had ever used before, "bring back those you long for most."

The king's eyes glazed over at the thought of his long lost wife, and now daughter. To be reunited with them, to be able to see them, touch them, was more than he could ever hope for. And this simple woman would help him see them again, and more? It was almost too good to be true.

"Truly?" he whispered, his voice thick with longing "truly you could bring me my deepest wish?"

"Truly, Majesty. It is the way of my arts. I ask but one thing in return for my assistance."

At those words, Aravac slipped out of his daze. That was a warning sign if ever there was one, and now his suspicions were confirmed: there was danger here, and a plot as thick as the mist outside the city gates. He began to speak, and usher the woman out of the door, but the king held up his hand.

"What is it you seek?" he asked, his voice gentle but stronger now.

"Only a time in this library, Majesty" the woman replied. "I do so love to read".

"That is all? You only wish to see the library?'

"Yes, Majesty. And to use it for my own purposes without interruption"

Aravac was now very worried. The woman wanted only the library? Certainly, there were old books there, valuable ones too, but there was surely an ulterior motive to the woman's request. Again, Malvin silenced him with a wave of his hand.

"You can have it. You can have it all, just please, bring back my wife and daughter to me!"

The woman gave herself a small, satisfied smile. "It can be done, My lord, but only through the defeat of the creatures that plague you."

The king's face twisted with rage at the mere thought. "Yes, of course. We must destroy them!"

The woman laughed out right at that. "Indeed we must, my lord. And I know exactly how to destroy their leader: Avia!"

The king stroked his beard thoughtfully. "yes, ridding that band of- _creatures_- of their leader might just finish them. But she is older, wiser, and fiercer than the rest of the lot put together!"

The woman looked at him, all trace of humor gone from her face, and it struck Aravac that eyes that could be so full of mirth one minute could become so hard, cold and merciless the next. "But not invincible, my lord. No one and nothing is without weaknesses. And as it happens, I know hers."

The king must have noticed the change in her character, for his next words were more guarded than before. "Who are you, in any case? And how is it that you arrive at such a time when my need is greatest?"

The woman's lilting, musical voice must have answered, and the king nodded in approval, but a clap of thunder drowned out her words to Aravac. Aravac was going to ask her to repeat herself, but the woman was already following the king out of the library. Aravac glanced out the window, and his suspicions were confirmed: although it was a foggy night, the moon shone down unobstructed by clouds; there was no storm.

. . .Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it


	2. Something Fowl

Chapter One- Before

"Yes! I am invincible!" cried Avia as her brother beamed down upon her. The temple children had been playing with a ball left in the road by a careless child, and Avia had just scored the wining shot for her team. She proudly accepted the prize, a slice of coconut someone had stolen from the kitchen, and split it up amongst her teammates. Smiling their thanks, the other children slowly dispersed, the winners eating their coconut, the losers trying to look as though they didn't care.

Avia found a shady tree in the temple courtyard where they had been playing and sat down to eat her coconut with her brother. Avia and Arimsa, the famous eighteen –year- old twins of the temple, were never seen without the company of each other for very long. Both looked remarkably similar, with black hair and almond- shaped eyes, tanned skin and bright smiles. They even had matching dimples in their left cheeks. There were a few differences, however. For one thing, Arimsa was tall and strongly built, with broad shoulders and strong arms and legs. Avia, however, was much shorter, with a much fuller figure; but of course, she was female, that was only to be expected. The major difference was their eyes. Arimsa, like most Egyptians, had beetle black eyes that glittered like dark gems in the hot sun. Avia, however, had deep, dark blue eyes, so full of depth that they seemed to swallow all light that struck them, most unusual in the valley of the Nile. Both children had been orphaned at a very young age, and had been taken in by the local temple of Isis, the goddess of women and magic, and were raised as servants in the temple community

Coconut finished, Avia sat back with a contented sigh. "You know Arimsa, I sometimes think that life around here isn't exactly what I want it to be. But at times like this, I feel like everything is right with the world."

"Yes" replied her brother with a grin, "Your stomach is full and your ego is stated, what more could you possibly want?"

With a yell of indignation, Avia leapt on her brother and began wrestling with him playfully, finally managing to sit on his legs and pull his head up by the hair.

"Avi! Avi! Stop it, that hurts!" he cried as his sister pulled harder.

"Take it back then" she told him calmly, as though there wasn't a writhing body underneath her.

"Alright alright, I take it back. Now let go already!" he yelled, as Avia let go of his hair and climbed off of his back. Laughing at his now tangled hair, she ran out of reach before he could retaliate. Just as Arimsa caught up with her and grabbed her arm, a bell rang from within the inner sanctuary of the temple.

"Ha! Saved by the bell!" cried Avia triumphantly as she began walking towards the sanctuary.

"You may have escaped this time, sister, but revenge will be mine!" Arimsa said in a jokingly threatening tone as he followed her into the inner recesses of their home.

Once inside the heart of the temple itself, the twins joined the other servants in their small place towards the back of the room, waiting for the priests to come and begin the ceremonies. Avia was bored already, and began to wonder when they would arrive so she could get some rest. Finally, the priests entered, and Avia slowly slipped into slumber.

About an hour later, a tap to her shoulder quickly brought Avia back to reality. Grinning hugely, her brother woke her just before the procession of priests passed her niche on their way out of the room. Shaking with laughter at her near miss, the twins waited until everyone else had filed out of the inner sanctum before putting their plan into action.

Of course, both of them knew better than to try and pull of a prank inside the Chapel of Isis; after all, who wanted to pick a fight with a goddess? But some of the "necessary equipment" for their latest escapade could be found only within the chamber's walls. Arimsa carefully stood watch while Avia stole some of the incense cones that were strewn strategically around the room. Laid with the fruits of their labors, they moved cautiously out of the inner sanctum and through the hallways of the temple itself. Continuing along the main corridor, Avia waited outside the kitchen while Arimsa sneaked inside to "liberate" some of the chickens. After the fowl were carefully stored in a sack under Arimsa's arm, Avia lead the way down the hall and into the main reception hallway.

An important guest of one of the priests was due to arrival sometime in the afternoon, and the twins just _had_ to show their respect…in a unique and perhaps unusual way. Lighting the incense, Avia shoved the cones underneath the chairs of the priests in the banquet hall, and underneath the slightly raised chair at the center of the table that the guest was going to occupy. Arimsa opened the sack and released a chicken under the chair of their first victim, where it cowered in fear of being caught again. Slowly, its eyes drooped lower and lower…until at last the hen was sound asleep. Pulling down the decorative hanging around the bottom of the chair to mask its sleeping intruder, Arimsa moved to the next chair, and then the next. It was the work of a few moments, but their prank was sure to be a success.

Chuckling silently at their daring, the brother and sister headed for their quarters. The temple community was set up in a rectangular fashion. At the rear and center, the inner sanctum, the temple itself, was situated, with a space near it containing a sacred pool for the priests' ritual purification. The inner sanctum held a shrine to Isis, and all members of the community gathered there for ceremonies once a day to honor Isis. Outside the inner sanctum, a pillared hall ran past, off of which the priests' quarters could be found. The hall continued al around the temple complex, with the guests quarters next to the priests, and the servants next to the priests on the other side. Across from the priests chambers were the practical rooms: kitchens, greeting hallways, entertainment rooms, and a main eating hall where all the members of the community gathered to eat together. Within the corridor, **(A/N: I know this is confusing, but I don't have any artistic ability to speak of, unlike some other authors like Raine Malfoy [if you haven't read her story, what is wrong with you? Read it for crying out loud!!], so I cant illustrate it for you. You can try to draw it out if you want, or just ignore it completely since it doesn't really matter in the long run in any case…so I guess I shouldn't bother to write it at all…never mind, I wrote it and its staying!)** The courtyard of the temple filled up the remaining space, with a earth floor and several trees, as well as a pool that the older servants used to clean clothing, and the younger children used to swim in.

"Avia, not only was that twisted, it was a stroke of genius. How did you know the incense would have such a strong effect on those chickens?"

****

Avia smiled at her brother. "Well, look at what they do to me; and I'm a lot bigger than a chicken! If the incense around here can lull me into slumber, I could only imagine what it would do to such a small creature. But of course, the effect won't last long. As soon as those cones run out, in a few hours, the chickens will begin to wake up- in a crowded and busy banquet hall!"

Laughing uproariously, the two of them hurried to their rooms to prepare for the evening's activities.

****

(Later that evening…)

Avia and Arimsa stood in the back of the hall, waiting for someone to indicate that they needed their hands cleaned. Both twins bore bowls of water, used for cleansing the hand of food between courses, and Avia also carried flowers for the women present to crush between their fingers. Usually such entourage was unnecessary, but on nights with visitors, a simple meal became a lengthy event, with all the trappings of a meal at court. Not only was the "special guest", who still remained unnamed, present, but several distinguished visitors from the nearby estates had decided to grace the temple with their presence.

A gentleman to their left beckoned with a finger, and Arimsa moved toward him, bowl outstretched. Avia shifted position, balancing her weight from one foot to the other, and tried not to look too guilty. They had just finished the preliminary rounds of food, and any minute now the incense would burn itself out. Roughly five minutes after that, the poultry under the seats of many distinguished guests would find themselves in a noisy, crowded room, and most likely panic.

Up at the head of the table, Ai, the head priest of the temple, raised his glass to call for quiet. Clearing his throat, he began to make a speech about welcoming the visitors to their humble home, while Avia struggled to keep from lobbing the cleansing bowl in his direction and the running away. She half listened to the address, noting that Ai's guest was named Siete and would be staying in the community for some time, but kept a close eye on the chairs of the priests. Any minute now…

Just as the guest (Siete, Avia reminded herself, he had a name now) rose from his chair, presumably to make a speech of some sort, a frenzy of feathers burst out from under the chair of the head priest. Screeching in fright, the terrified chicken bounded straight for the open door, knocking over a serving attendant, who spilled a tray of wine goblets over the wealthiest family in town. As the other chickens awoke, they headed in all directions, overturning stools, frightening guests, and spilling food in their desperation to escape the noise and confusion of the banquet hall. Complete pandemonium ensued.

When the last of the rampant poultry had been caught, Ai stalked towards Avia, who was looking as though she had swallowed a lemon in her effort to keep from laughing. Her mirth did not laugh long, however, as Ai bellowed at the top of his lungs for her and her brother to leave immediately. They would be given punishment duties when he was able to think of a fitting reward for her behavior. Avia and Arimsa left the hall without even trying to make excuses; they had been caught in the act too man times for there to be doubts in anyone's mind that the prank had been the work of the infamous twins. Looking enormously pleased with themselves, the two miscreants rounded the high table and set off for the kitchens. As Avia left the hallway, she accidentally caught the glance of Siete, the guest that Ai had wanted to impress so badly. To her great surprise, he seemed to be thoroughly amused by the escapade and gave her a small smile as she left the hallway, to which she responded with a mischievous grin. However, when she looked at him more closely, her grin quickly faded, to be replaced by a frown. There was something about him, some lingering trait that she couldn't quite put her finger on, that bothered her. Perhaps it was his eyes, she thought to herself as she walked towards the kitchens; for they had been a shade of green that glittered unusually in the torch light, almost seeming to reflect the light as it hit them. The man looked to me in his early twenties, at the very most, and yet his eyes had seemed so…ancient. And, Avia thought with a shudder, so devoid of life. They looked dead.

As they entered the kitchens, the twins came face- to – face with Amah, the head of servants in the temple. The round little woman bore down on them with a look that could have frozen water, and instantly began berating them for their actions. Avia wondered vaguely how she had found out what had happened so quickly.

"This is unacceptable! I really am surprised at you two! I had thought that you could at least show some respect to the distinguished guests we have visiting today, but apparently you are unable to control yourselves for just one meal! You are both nearly eighteen, adults in all but your behavior! I cannot believe that you still cling to such childish actions. You can just sit against the wall until Ai is ready to speak with you! I have never been more humiliated by two of my charges in all my life!"

Grumbling threats under her breath, Amah got back to work as Avia and Arimsa sat on the floor closest to the ovens, hoping to steal a piece of food when the attendants weren't looking. They had not been sitting long when Arimsa's friend Anook found them.

"Arimsa! That was inspired!" he cried, grasping Arimsa's hand in a friendly greeting.

"Don't look at me, I was just following orders" Arimsa told his friend with a laugh "My sister here is the brains of the operation.

"The beauty too" Avia joked, "it is tiring to hold both positions, but just look at Arimsa, someone had to do it!"

All three burst out laughing, since it was well known that nearly every female who met him sought after Arimsa. When the laughter died down, Anook turned serious.

"It was really excellent timing for getting Ai mad, but I think you're really in for it this time. What on earth possessed you to try something while Siete is staying here?"

Avia looked at him oddly, an intrigued look she attained whenever some piece of information floated by her.

"What is about this Siete that makes us throw out our backs preparing for him? I don't even know where he's form, let alone why he's so important.

"You don't know?" replied Anook with an incredulous glance at Arimsa, who shook his head. "Where in the world have you two been? Its all anyone has been talking about for the past week! This Siete is some sort of noble, I believe, from the lands north of here. Greece or something like that, I'm not really sure. But he's very wealthy and very important, wherever he's from. But that's not why everyone has been so anxious about him. They say" at this point, Anook's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, " that he has great power, you know, like a mage. He can control fire, and the weather, and look into your thoughts and control you through your mind!"

Avia and Arimsa looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"That is without any doubt the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life!" Avia cried through her laughter. A mage? Who controlled the thoughts of others? It was too ridiculous, even for Anook. " I think someone has been into Amah's date wine again, Anook."

Anook's face was clouded as he answered, and Avia could see that he really did believe that this Siete was someone to fear. "Believe what you will, Avia, but one look into his eyes sure convinced me! They look like the eyes of a cow after its died; so blank and empty."

Avia wasn't laughing now. She understood completely what Anook was saying; Siete's eyes were truly disturbing. Still, unusual eyes were no indication of evil, or power; she was living proof of that, with her own unusually deep blue eyes. Still, it was something to think about.

Seeing Ai approach the twins, Anook ran off before he was caught with them. Avia resigned herself to several weeks of chores and prepared for Ai's wrath, but couldn't keep her mind from wandering back to Siete and his mysterious emerald eyes.


	3. Foreshadowing!

Disclaimer: (I don't think this is really necessary, but I'm flat out broke so I can't get sued right now) I don't own any of Amelia Atwater- Rhodes concepts, places or characters. I do, however, own my own concepts, places and characters, as well as the plot. DO NOT TAKE THEM!!

**(A/N: Well, here you go: chapter two. Hurray! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed; Jewel, Aubreyluver, Tazmanian Devil and of course the irrepressible Caesar. You guys made my day. Everyone else, please follow their brilliant example and review! This story is gonna go no where without suggestions and comments.**

I just have a few notes before we get started with the main event. First of all, I would like to mention here that to recent knowledge, Egypt was not home to any actual "temple communities". Temples were very common, but only priests lived there. However, one of the great things about writing about lost civilizations is that you can take a rather large degree of artistic license. For all we know, aliens could have regularly visited Egyptians: its impossible to say for sure. Therefore, humor me on this one and let the lack of authenticity slide, ok? Please?

I'd also like to mention before hand that the language might seem rather modern for an ancient story. I'm doing this for three reasons: 1- Ancient Egyptian is a dead language, therefore we don't really know how they spoke 2- I'm from modern times (real shocker there) and that's how _I_ speak and finally 3- I'm lazy and don't really want to write eloquent speech unless its strictly necessary.

My final note is thus: I don't intend to incorporate too many of Amelia's characters into this fanfiction. Don't get me wrong, I love them all (marry me Kaleo!), but I'd rather use my own original characters for the most part. I'll probably slide in some of them later on, but for now the only one you should recognize is Siete. And as an extra little tidbit, I found out that Moira (that's Fala's lover, in case anyone forgot) is a Greek goddess of destiny. Just in case anyone's interested. Well, that's enough rambling for one day. On with the story!)

Chapter Two- Foreshadowing!

Avia's back ached from three solid hours of nothing but cleaning, mopping and dusting. She had spent the better part of her day with Arimsa, sweeping the main hallway of the temple clear of debris from the "chicken fiasco", until they started a sword fight with their brooms and were separated. Avia was stuck washing the floor of the kitchens, and was none too pleased with the task. It was grueling work, and she had wanted to spend the evening taking the leftover food from the storing rooms before they were locked. Growling her frustration, Avia vented her anger on the floor, viciously attacking it with the rag she was using. **(It's a new genre in horror flicks: Mop Murders!)** Hearing footsteps approaching, she struggled to get a hold of her temper before she got into even more trouble.

"And here are the kitchens. In general, we serve three meals a day, in the morning, at midday and in the evening, but of course should you be hungry, my lord, the kitchens are open to you at all times." Avia inwardly groaned. Sira, the daughter of one of the priests, was no doubt presenting their unusual guest with a tour of the temple, and, from the sound of her voice, trying very hard to give him a tour of her body. As the two rounded the corner, Avia had to bite down on her lip to keep from shouting rude comments in Sira's direction.

"This hallway will take you directing to the store rooms, where we hold food that is not immediately needed, as well as the stair case to the upper lounge, where you are invited to relax during your spare time. If you will come this way?" cooed Sira, in what she obviously thought was an inviting tone of voice. Avia raised her head, preparing to make faces at the girl, and came face to face with the unsettling jade eyes of Siete.

"This is the one responsible for the, er, chickens last night, correct?" he asked. Avia liked his voice; it was deep and soft, giving him an air of one who was constantly guarding secrets, although she never would have admitted it.

"In part, yes. Avia and her twin brother Arimsa are infamous in this community for causing all sorts of disorder." At this, Avia straightened and gave Sira a jaunty salute, which she pointedly ignored. Avia could have sworn that for a moment, his green eyes flashed with mirth, before his guards came down again and they were as unreadable as ever. "But please, don't judge us all based on their behavior. As you will see…" Sira's voice trailed off when she noticed that Siete was not paying her the slightest bit of attention. Instead, his glittering eyes were locked on Avia.

"That was a most amusing diversion, Avia. Please give your brother my compliments."

And with that, Sira and Siete continued down the hallway, leaving Avia completely dumbstruck in their wake.

****

Later-

Avia and Arimsa returned to the courtyard just before the evening meal, amidst much applause. The younger servants, who often had free time on their hands, frequently met in the area to talk and play. After accepting congratulations from most of the company, the two sat down by the pond to talk. The others respected their distance from the group; everyone knew that the twins sometimes liked to be alone.

"I spoke to the guest, Siete, today" Avia told her brother. "He was…surprising"

Arimsa raised an eyebrow, a feat he was most proud of. "How so? I only got a glimpse of him while Sira was touring the dining hall. They made me finish the sweeping by myself, you know. I hope you're happy."

Avia grinned impishly at him. "I am, actually. Your misery makes mine more bearable. As to how he was unusual, well for starters he said to give you his regards. I believe he thought our escapades last night were amusing."

"That _is_ surprising. I half expected some extra work from him when he passed by, but he paid me no mind."

"That's strange" Avia commented, "he seemed to know me by sight." Her brow creased in a frown, and Arimsa could tell she was thinking hard about something.

"That's not all that's bothering you, is it?" he asked gently. "Come on Avi, you can tell me anything. We're practically the same person!"

Arimsa's twin joke managed to bring a reluctant grin to Avia's face. "Please, Arimsa, you've been telling that one since we were eight. Isn't ten years enough?"

Arimsa looked indignant. "That joke is a classic! There is no such thing as enough. Now come on, I know something is wrong, can't you just tell me what it is?"

"Well, I can't exactly put my finger on it. Its like when you know the rain is coming; your not sure how or why you know, you just do. And there is something about this Siete that I don't like. I can't tell you exactly what it is. I can just…feel it."

"Is this like the time when you knew Hana was going to die?" Arimsa asked with concern. He was referring to a time when one of the servants fell sick, and the twins had gone to visit her. The priest attending her was from out- of – town, supposedly a master of medicinal arts. Avia hadn't liked him, and was so angry with the man that she burst out during an argument with Arimsa, who liked him, that if the man continued to treat her she was surely going to die. Upon his questioning, Avia had had no idea how she knew it, it had just burst out of her, but was utterly convinced that it was true. And low and behold, Hana had died, although no one thought it had anything to do with the visiting priest.

"Not exactly like that, no. I was angry, and suddenly the words just flew into my head, and so I said them. It sounds more like the work of a prophetess than anything else- not that I think I'm able to give prophecies. This is different, it feels different…this feeling has been strong with me since I first saw him. And its not the same as what I felt for the priest. Its somehow…colder."

Arimsa looked concerned. "You say he knew you on sight?"

Avia nodded. "Yes, he knew my name and that I was the one responsible for the chickens. But Sira had already named me, and he could have just remembered my face from the banquet last night."

"Perhaps" Arimsa said distantly. He noticed Avia's frown, and immediately changed his tone. "Of course, it makes sense that he would remember you and not me. After all, he is a man, and unmarried if I heard correctly…"

Avia gave a shriek of mock anger at her brothers teasing and immediately tried to hit him. The rest of the company burst out laughing as Arimsa quickly fled from his much smaller sister, running around the pond and through the tress in his effort to get away. Just as she was about to catch him, the bell signaled the dining hour, again Arimsa's salvation. Laughing and joking, the group of servants headed into the main room to serve the guests, unaware that a pair of cold emerald eyes observed them from the upper lounge.

****


	4. Dreams

(A/N: No one reviewed except for Lord Policar, who only did it because I made him. Very upsetting. Come on people, it's not that hard: read the chapter, click the button, type some junk and post! Thought the writing was excellent? Review. Have a suggestion? Review. Want to complain? Review. Want to know why I'm not locked up somewhere? Review. (And I'll tell you the whole exciting tale of my escape from the evil people in the local institution. Yay!) I don't care if you liked it or hated it, just PLEASE WRITE SOMETHING! OK, now I'm finished ranting. On with the next chapter!)

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you don't recognize it, I own it. Mmkay?

Chapter Three: Dreams

A few weeks after the chicken escapade, which was looking as though it would go down in history, Siete still had not departed from the temple. Most of the servants were under the impression that he would be moving on in a short matter of time, but Amah insisted that he was going to be staying on with Ai for quite a while. This had not made an impression on Avia, who hadn't seen the elusive stranger since the day he complimented her handiwork, and she went about her business as usual. Having finished her punishment duties, she found herself with enough free time to begin her latest venture: learning to read.

To Avia's knowledge, only scribes and high officials, as well as some of the priests were able to read, and she wasn't sure if someone of her standing would even be allowed to learn. But it had struck her recently as being a very useful skill, and as her motto was "When in doubt, just don't get caught", she decided to go for it. The temple did not have a large library by any means, but there were several books in the lounge on the second floor, and she was sure that she could sneak into the room at night, when everyone as asleep. Having been in the room only twice in her life, as only the elder servants were permitted to tend to it, she was not certain that she would find any books to make headway with. But she thought it would be worth a try, and so on the night of the full moon she slowly sneaked up the stairs to the lounge.

The hallways were dark, and Avia did not know her way around the second floor very well, but she was finally able to locate the lounge, although she tripped over a chair upon entering, and was sure the racket would wake someone. But after holding still as the grave for a few minutes, she decided that no one had heard her and walked further into the room. The lounge was not very large, but gave the impression of being much bigger because of all the nooks and crannies full of cushions and chairs. The priests and their guests used the lounge to entertain and relax in, and Avia was certain she had seen books kept towards the back wall. Sure enough, a shelf with several texts stood next to a cushioned chair near the back wall of the room, and she crept delightedly towards the books.

There were only five, to Avia's disappointment, and none of them looked legible. One book, large and bound with leather, was clasped tightly together with metal bindings, preventing anyone from reading it. Avia examined the bindings and thought she could open them without too much difficulty, but putting them back together would be another matter, so she ruled that out. The next book looked much to difficult for her, as there were no pictures for reference. The third book, however, was what appeared to be an illustrated collection of myths, so Avia pulled a cushion over to the open window and sat in the light of the moon to examine it.

The more she stared at the book, the more frustrated she became. No matter how hard she tried, she could make head nor tail of the hieroglyphs before her. She could guess at some of the meanings, but not enough to understand the stories. She realized what a ridiculous idea it had been to sneak in at all- how could she expect to learn to read just by looking at the letters? The scribes went to school for many years before they were able to read well, what made her think she could do it in a few nights? With an angry grunt, she turned to put the book back on the shelf, admitting defeat.

As she spun around, she came face to face with Siete. His face was thrown into shadows by the light of the moon, but his eyes gleamed brightly in the glare. He was wearing an open coat, thrown aside to reveal a chest and stomach that was unusually well toned for one who didn't work. With a small blush, Avia realized she was staring.

"I didn't know that servants were allowed to read" he said in the same lilting drawl she had heard when he spoke to her in the hall.

"As it happens, we're not" Avia bit back sharply, only to bite her tongue a second too late. Not only had she admitted to breaking the rules, she had spoken sharply to an honored guest; together, that was enough to get her work until she died of old age.

But Siete again surprised her. "Can you read?" he inquired, sounding genuinely curious.

"No" Avia replied, "I can't. I was trying to teach myself, but obviously that's a foolish notion. Well that's my story: what's yours?" Avia figured she had nothing to loose, she might as well try out a direct question.

Siete's eyes flashed with annoyance. "My business is my own, and I, unlike you, am allowed to wander around after dark without being questioned."

Avia realized she had pushed too far. With a respectful nod she headed for the door, until she felt a hand on her arm. "Wait…" Siete implored, catching her gaze, and she was again struck by the odd texture of his eyes, so gleaming that she could barely repress a shiver. "I could…teach you, if you like."

"You could teach me" Avia repeated dumbly, at a loss for words. Shaking her head, she met his gaze eye for eye. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"My business is my own" he repeated, although his eyes reflect amusement instead of anger this time. "What do you say?"

Avia thought about it. Certainly, he was not exactly a normal noble, but he might still be expecting her to repay him some how. Her thoughts drifted back to what her brother had said before, and again she shivered, although the night was warm. Still, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to try to learn for one night, If she got a decent start, she might be bale to work on her own. "Well, I can't imagine why you would want to teach me, but if you are truly willing, then yes, I'd like you to teach me."

"Excellent. Come back into the light, you'll be able to see better by the window." He pulled a cushion next to her own and opened the book she had been carrying. "Hmm…I might have started you out with an easier writing style, but you'll have to learn hieroglyphs sometime. To read them requires a lot of memorization, but you shouldn't have too much trouble with that. Now, the difficult part about reading hieroglyphs is…"

The Next Day…

(A/N: I would have liked to provide you with some sort of flashing symbol whenever I do a time change like this, like Batman's bat symbol flashing on the old episodes, but unfortunately this is a story, so you're going to have to imagine it. Maybe her symbol can be a chicken…yea, lets go with that for now.)

"Ok, let me just summarize this, for my own clarification: You sneaked out last night into the upper lounge to teach yourself to read, then realized it was impossible and had no idea what had compelled you to go there in the first place. On your way out, you bumped into a mysterious and hard- to- find noble, who then offered to teach you to read. And now, you are planning to meet him a few nights a week to continue these lessons, and are on a first name basis with said noble. Am I missing anything?"

"Nope" said Avia happily, completely unaware of her brothers anger. Her head was still swimming with all the characters she had to memorize. She conjured up their images in her head and named each one, mentally tracing each shape with care. She had at first been apprehensive of the strange noble, but as soon as the book was opened she had immediately felt better; it was something they had in common, that passion for letters. Siete had told her to meet him every other night, so she would have time to sleep.

"Not that you really need it" he had told her with a grin, "based on all those catnaps you take during the temple ceremonies". Avia had been thrilled to discover that, for all his peculiar traits, her friend had a sense of humor.

"Well, now I have most definitely heard everything. Avia, that is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard in my entire life. If I live for three thousand years, I will never hear anything more far- fetched than that."

Avia had not anticipated that her brother wouldn't believe her. "Arimsa, I'm telling the truth!" she protested loudly, making a few heads turn at the breakfast table where they were talking. "Why would I make this up?"

Looking at his sister, Arimsa could tell that she was indeed speaking truly. But that, if anything, made his anger greater. "Oh, you're telling the truth. Well, that completely puts all my worries to rest. My sister is going to be meeting a strange man in the middle of the night for Isis knows how long, in a room that's too far away from the sleeping quarters for anyone to hear her. Fantastic. I can sleep easily now."

"Arimsa" Avia wheeled, trying to convince her brother that Siete was trustworthy, "nothing is going to happen. We talked a lot last night, and he's not going to hurt me. I can tell. And he really can teach me to read, he's very good at it. You don't want to stay here your whole life, do you? Siete could be our only way out."

Arimsa could not believe how stupidly his sister was behaving. "Avia, you barely know Siete. I don't understand how it is suddenly acceptable for you to be around him alone at all, let alone at night! A week ago, you were going on about how strange and 'dead' he seemed, and now you're practically friend with this man? What's gotten into you?"

Avia looked thoughtful, as though she had been completely unaware of her sudden change of heart. "You know, Arimsa, I have no idea."

…

Exhausted form her work the night before, Avia fell into a deep sleep as soon as her knees met the floor of the inner sanctum. Leaning her head on Arimsa's shoulder, she drifted into a dream.

She walked in a barren plain; a desert. The air rippled with heat as vultures circled above her head. Although a little surprised to find herself in such a place, Avia was not concerned. Deciding that to stay in one place would be pointless, she began to walk.

Suddenly, ahead of her Avia spied an oasis, lush with plants and birds. Running towards it, it abruptly bounced away from her, moving towards the red hued cliffs in the east. Avia sighed with disappointment; it was only a mirage. Yet Avia felt certain that it was real, and only just out of reach. She again moved forward, but again the oasis moved away from her. Growling in frustration, the girl irrationally beckoned the oasis with her finger, and to her amazement, as she drew her finger towards herself, so did the island follow. When it was just before her, she stopped beckoning and took a hesitant step forward. The oasis did not move away. With relief, she ran to the edge of the pool of water at the heart of the oasis and bent down to drink.

As she lapped the water, she noticed and unusual reflection in the pool. Turning, she realized she was not alone in the paradise she had called to her. A woman stood behind her, looking intently on her face. To say she was beautiful was a vast understatement. The woman was clearly Egyptian, of that Avia was certain, and yet her eyes…her eyes were the same blue, indescribably deep color as Avia's own. The woman was, in a brief summary that hardly did her credit, perfect. Her lips were full and red and her hair long and black, falling in a straight line down her back. A golden charm hung around her neck, and Avia realized that it was an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life and rebirth. The woman's eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled down on Avia.

"Well met, daughter" she said in a clear, surprisingly deep voice that rang throughout the oasis like the sound of water falling.

"Daughter?" said Avia in a near whisper. Could this radiant woman really be…?

_"Well, your birth mother I am not" replied the woman, crushing Avia's hopes. "However, spiritually I am your mother, just as I am the mother of all women of this land._

Avia pondered these words before replying in a hesitant, hushed tone, "Isis?"

The woman looked enormously pleased. "Yes, very good. I am your patron goddess, daughter. It is fortunate, albeit disrespectful, that you fell asleep this day. I have been waiting to speak with you, and at last you are ready. Are you willing to listen to what I have to say?"

Avia thought before she answered. The gods and goddesses, while strange and beautiful and certainly helpful to the Egyptians, were also known for meddling in mortals' lives and causing trouble. When simply praying, one always had to be careful when phrasing a request, or they might end up with more than they bargained for. Still, to be patroned, or considered a "daughter" or a goddess, especially as powerful a figure as Isis, was an honor not offered to many, and not easily refused. "Yes" Avia said finally, "please tell me why you brought me here."

"I don't believe you were listening when the priests lectured the temple children on my myths, Avia. At least, not all of them. I know you do have a fondness for stories, especially mine, but I believe you missed a rather crucial lesson. That was the day you and your brother replaced the incense in my temple with dung, as I recall, and you were still being punished when they told this legend. The story regards the Daughters of Isis. These women control a small portion of the abilities I possess, and use them to work my will on the earth when I cannot do it myself. You might call them demi- goddesses. The Daughters of Isis are my gift to humanity, to protect them when other powers make it impossible for me to do so myself. Long ago, Seth, the god of the desert and chaos, killed my husband Osirus, who is now the ruler of the Lands of the Dead. He cut the body into fourteen pieces and scattered them throughout the world. But through my magic, I was able to find all the pieces and bring them together again, allowing my husband to pass into the Land of the Dead and foiling Seth's plot.

"But mythology has widely forgotten that Seth had his revenge on me. To this day he walks the earth, looking for spirits and men to follow his corrupt path, twisting their minds and hearts against me and my celestial brothers and sisters. That is why I sent my daughters to defeat his followers, so that a balance between Seth's chaos and my order could be obtained. You, Avia, are one of these daughters, the last to be born in Egypt thus far. I am worshipped, you see" she said, in response to Avia's frown, "in lands other than this, my home, and so may choose daughters from places farther from Egypt than you are. You have power, Avia, and it will not remain dormant for long. You will soon notice a skill in some area of your life in which you excel beyond that of any other, and will even be able to perform some of my own wonders at will. I know it may be hard to accept, but you are different and you have a path to follow that may lead you to harm and peril. But it is your quest, and your sisters quest, to be a light against the darkness of Seth, to be a beacon of hope among those who have none, to protect others as I have guarded you- yes, it was no accident that you found your way to one of my temples. I will come to you again soon, Avia, but now my time is spent. Remember our talk, remember your path, and remember you are a Dratia Irisia, one of my daughters, and one who I love."

With that, the goddess vanished, and Avia woke with a start.

Avia looked around. The ceremony at the sanctuary was beginning to end, and the priests were beginning to hold the leaving procession. Turning to her brother, Arimsa gave her a quick grin.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was just about to get you. And, Avia… I thought about those lessons with Siete, and you're right, we do need some sort of education if we're ever going to get out of here, but I'd rather sit on with you, at least at first. I still don't trust him, to be honest."

Avia grabbed her brother in a firm embrace. "I love you, Rimmy" she told him, the nickname making his smile widen.

"I love you too, Avi. Just don't do anything to get yourself hurt, all right? It would be pretty difficult to annoy Ai all by myself."

"I wont. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

Arimsa helped Avia to her feet, but her legs were still unsteady from her nap, and she pitched headlong towards the floor. Thankfully, her brother caught her just before she hit. "No, you cant, Avi, but lucky for you, you have a brother to take care of you."

The moment proved a little too touching for Avia. "And lucky for you, you have a sister to think for you, otherwise you would never manage."

Laughing together, the twins left the temple to get on with their chores for the day. Just before they left, however, Avia remembered her dream and turned back towards the temple. Leaving Arimsa perplexed at the doorway, she knelt at the shrine and whispered " I have no idea what you mean, but I'll learn if I have to."

Although there was no answer, the silence of the sanctuary seemed to speak to her, and that was enough for Avia. Again she left the shrine, with more food for thought than she had been forced to dwell on in a long time.

(A/N: I know there were a lot of author's notes this chapter, but I can't help it: I like to talk, and talking to the voices in my head was getting boring. I just wanted to say that this chapter did not flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but I had to lay down the basis of the story somewhere. It will get better quite soon, I hope, so please stick with it!

-Athtor


	5. Cliff Hanger

(A/N: -yawns- My sister tells me the most creative time of day is dawn, but I beg to differ! It's five am, and I can barely see straight, let alone type. But I really wanted to get this chapter up, and I can't sleep anyway so I dragged my carcass down to the computer to give y'all something to read. Say thank you, Athtor)

Disclaimer: Some of it's Amelia's, ok? Don't sue me.

Chapter Four: Cliff Hanger

Roughly a week had passed since Avia's dream in the temple. After sitting in on all of her lessons with Siete, Arimsa had finally relented and agreed that she could continue them unsupervised. Siete found it endlessly amusing that Avia listened to her brother and no one else, but stopped voicing such feelings aloud after she informed him that informality was a two way street; and she fully intended to abuse him if he continued to make fun of her.

Avia was not learning nearly as fast as she would have liked, but Siete assured her she was making excellent progress. Avia still found it strange how she had resented him one minute and befriended him the next, but chose not to dwell on it. She had found him to be unlike most of the other privileged people she had met; he joked and teased like a normal person, and let her tease him as well. He even made time to visit Arimsa, who still didn't like the idea, and kept him informed of their activities. Arimsa would even grudgingly admit that he could tolerate Siete, but such admissions would usually trail off into dire threats about what would happen should Avia return even one second late. By this time, neither Avia nor Siete paid any mind to such remarks.

Avia had shared her dream of the Goddess with Arimsa, and neither of the two could puzzle it out. It had seemed too realistic to Avia to be a dream, but it was also unheard of for a mere servant to receive visions from a god. Arimsa offered to ask the other servants if they had heard the legend of the Dratia Irisia, which left Avia to check the book of myths she had recruited for her reading lessons. However, she and Siete were drawing near to the end of the book, and there had been no mention of the Daughters of Isis yet. Finally, out of desperation, Avia brought up the subject with her teacher.

"Uh, Siete, have you ever heard of a legend about the Daughters of Isis?" she asked during one of their breaks. They had finished the book about myths, and Siete had brought up a pineapple to celebrate.

"You mean the Dratia Irisia? I think I may have heard something…let me see. Daughters of Isis….Daughters of Isis…now I've got it. The Dratia Irisia is an order of women, mostly in the Mediterranean area, who claim to be the daughters of the goddess Isis. I never would have believed the story, but I actually met two of them, in completely different areas of the region, and they said exactly the same thing. I believe some towns look to them as prophetesses, but for the most part they're independent of any strict dwelling like that. According to the ones I spoke to, they wander around trying to eliminate "darkness" from the world." Siete shook his head. "Wasted effort really. This world is so entrenched in darkness, if we got rid of it all, there'd be nothing left."

Avia gulped in spite of herself. "What kind of darkness, exactly?"

"You know, demons and such."

"Oh. Demons and such. Of course." Avia burst out laughing. "Siete, I was serious! Really, what do they do?"

"I wasn't kidding, seriously, they kill things that should have died years ago."

Avia frowned up at him, but could see no trace of amusement in his eyes. "you're not kidding, are you?" she asked quietly.

"No, I'm not. That's really what they do. I think I heard the legend once… supposedly, after Osiris was brought back to life and Horus became ruler of Egypt, Seth was furious and sought revenge. Since he believed that it was Isis who had led to his downfall- and it was, I suppose-, he began to work against her. If I remember correctly, he took six men, six beasts, and six spirits and corrupted them, tricked them into serving him. There are obviously many more now, since they in turn spread Seth's work throughout the lands where Isis was strong, but those six were the most powerful."

"Where on earth did you learn all of that?" Avia asked incredulously.

Siete looked almost regretful for a moment, before adopting his smooth mask once more. "I have been fascinated by demons for quite some time now. There's all different kinds you know, it's a very interesting study. Why are you so interested, anyway? Its not exactly a common topic."

"No reason in particular" Avia replied, lying through her teeth, "just curious."

"Idle curiosity in dangerous subjects is not a healthy exercise, Avia. But if you're really interested, then I know what book we can move onto next."

Siete walked over to the shelf and replaced the book of myths, drawing out the hard bound, sealed volume Avia had noticed her first time in the room. On closer inspection, she could see several runes that the priests put on the shrine doors, signs of purity, locking and concealment. "What is that thing?" Avia asked. "Looks rather morbid to me."

Siete examined the locks on the book, and simply ripped them off, to Avia's surprise. He must be stronger then he looks, she thought, and he looks pretty strong.

Opening the book, Siete announced in a hollow sounding voice, "This is a copy of the Book of the Dead. Not only does it protect the body in the afterworld, it has all kinds of information about some of the things that plague us while we are still alive. There's also a compilation of prophecies, which are always interesting to read."

**(A/N: Just in case anyone saw The Mummy or has a misconception, the Egyptian Book of the Dead was not a single hidden, magickal text used to raise evil dead people who fool around with other people's wives. In contrast, a copy of the Book was buried with all who could afford it, as it contained spells and directions that were very important in facing the many trials Egyptians believed the afterlife contained. I'm not sure that it contained any demonology or prophecies, but hey, it's a fan FICTION, so I'm taking some more creative liberties. Deal with it.)**

Avia gasped in shock. "What are the priests doing with a copy of the Book of the Dead? They don't embalm anyone!"

"Well, they probably want it for the same reason we do: to learn about demons and such." Siete replied.

Avia had some feelings of misgivings, but was too eager to learn about her apparent heritage to care. She eagerly turned to the first page, and began to read.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As days passed, Avia and Siete constantly poured over the Book during most of their lessons together. At first, Avia could not believe someone had wasted their time writing something so far fetched. **(A/N: Hmm…that sounds familiar)** But the more she read, the more interested she became. Morbid or otherwise, the book was full of knowledge most of her peers would kill to get their hands on. With Siete's assistance, she learned about Incubi, demons who preyed on women; their female counterparts, called Succubi; elemental beings that brought havoc in the form of natural disasters; and spirits that could inhabit the bodies of others. As Siete had so accurately pointed out, she really didn't have a reason for wanting to educate herself on things that were neither living nor dead, she just felt it was better to be safe than sorry. Despite all her pressings, Siete absolutely refused to elaborate on his encounter with the Daughters of Isis he had apparently run into. Avia was rather unnerved by his secrecy, but decided not to dwell on it.

Soon after Avia's lessons with the Book of the Dead began, Avia caught up with her brother just as their chores for the day were complete.

"Come on, Arimsa!" she called from across the room, earning scowls from most of the older servants. "Lets go for a walk".

Arimsa nodded his agreement and headed for the door. The twins exited the temple from a small side gate and headed toward the river in the distance. It was a good walk away from their home, but Avia thought they would have enough time to get back before dark.

After a hot walk, they were both very much relieved to reach the river bank. Scanning the area left and right, the stretch of water looked deserted, so both waded in, fully clothed. After splashing each other like lunatics for a good while, they climbed under a shady tree overhanging the river and lay down to rest.

Avia could see the sun glinting through the trees, and estimated that about an hour remained before dark, and they would need at least half that to get back in time. Still, she looked up at the tree's branches and day dreamed idly, not moving. She examined the details of the leaves above her head; the veins running through them, the shape of each leaf, the beautiful bright green color. Looking at the emerald leaves brought her mind to a pair of emerald eyes, and she smiled slightly at the thought.

Just before Avia's mind could wander still further down a road that the author had wanted to save for later, Arimsa's voice shattered the silence.

"Look at that, Avi" he said in a choked sounding voice. "There's a woman walking" he paused, "on top of the water."

Avia instantly snapped out of her daydreaming and followed her brother's gaze to the water. She instantly recognized the figure ahead of her; there was no mistaking the flash of blue eyes and powerful gait. "Arimsa, you can see her too?" she asked.

"Unless we are both having exactly the same hallucination, then yes, I can see her." Her brother remarked, sounding angry. Avia, however, knew better: he was afraid.

The figure was now within calling distance of the twins, and Avia began to wade into the river to greet her. Arimsa's hand stayed her arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded. "We have no idea who that is!"

Avia shook her head, with a small sigh at the many failings of men, none the least of which was making false generalizations. "No, YOU don't know who that is. I, however, am slightly more enlightened than you are; that's the goddess from my dream."

Arimsa, far from being reassured, looked even more nervous than before, and he did not release his grip on her arm. "You mean she's real?" he asked incredulously.

"'Unless we are both having exactly the same hallucination'" she mimicked, throwing his words back at him. "Now let go of my arm."

Arimsa dropped her limb, looking dazed, and sat down again with a thud. It was rather a lot for him to take in.

Avia, on the other hand, was within reach of the goddess before her. She gave a hesitant smile and cautiously said "hello."

Isis matched her smile with a much bigger grin of her own, and replied "Well met, Avia. It seems you have called me once again."

Avia frowned in confusion. "Call you? I never called you. I wasn't even thinking straight when you appeared."

The goddess smiled indulgently at her. "You probably called for me without even being aware that you did so. It has happened before. After all, you noticed me, did you not?"

"Well actually, no, I didn't." replied Avia. "My brother did. He saw you coming down the river, and told me about it."

Now it was Isis's turn to frown. "I did not know you had a brother."

"Yes" replied Avia. "We're twins."

"Twins" mused Isis, obviously deep in thought. "That is most unusual. I should like to meet this brother of yours, Avia. Can you introduce me to him?"

"Of course!" Avia replied, and led the way back to the tree, where Arimsa had been watching the dialogue from what he deemed was a safe distance away. He did not look happy at being brought into close quarters with a divine being.

"You are her brother?" Isis inquired.

Arimsa gulped. "I'm Arimsa…" and finding nothing else to say, he let his words hang alone in the air.

Looking thoughtful, the goddess put a hand to her chin. After a few awkward moments of silence, while Avia making a pile of stones at her feet, Isis looked up. "Arimsa, would you please tell me why you don't like Avia's teacher?"

Without even stopping to think about a strange immortal knowing the details of his life, Arimsa blurted out "Because he's dead!"

Avia looked up from her stones in outrage. "Arimsa! What a thing to say!"

Isis glanced at Avia, then refocused her attention on her brother. "Well, I think we may have a difficulty here. I assume Avia has told you of her dream of me, and her calling?" At Arimsa's nod, she continued. "Then you know she is one of my Daughters. Daughters are predestined before they are born to be what they are. I suppose it is possible that, while in the womb together, some of her abilities could have- leaked, so to speak, into you. This is very strange, and it has never happened before. There are no men in the Daughters of Isis- hence the name. I am not sure what to make of all this. But the hour grows late, and you two should be getting inside. These plains are not safe after dark, particularly for people like you."

"Wait just a minute!" Avia demanded, sounding put out. "You still haven't explained what these "abilities" are, or what it is exactly that I should be doing. You can't keep leaving me hanging like this!"

The goddess gave her a hard glance. "I can, and I must. There is no time left to me now. Amun- Ra has already begun his journey into Nut, the night. You must head back to the temple. If you hurry, you can make it before darkness truly falls. And Avia, daughter you may be, but you would do well to not make demands of a goddess."

With a last nod to them both, she vanished. Avia stared at the spot where the goddess had just stood. "Do you think _we_ can do that?" she asked, with wonder in her voice.

"I don't care, Avia, we have to get back!" Arimsa replied, crossing the river. "Whatever we can and cannot do, its going to be dark in a few minutes. If we run all the way we are still never going to make it. Come on!

Avia lunged into the water after him, and the two raced up the slope. They cut across a field, hopped a fence and trespassed through an orchard in an attempt to save the failing daylight. Avia was not sure what it was exactly that they were trying to avoid, but she knew instinctively that she did not want to be caught outside in the dark. It was quite dark by the time they reached the dusty plain that marked the beginning of the temple grounds. With a relieved grunt, Arimsa picked up the pace, Avia matching him step for step. When they finally reached the gate they had exited through, Arimsa pulled on it harshly, only to find it locked for the night.

"Brilliant" muttered Avia. "Now what do we do?"

Arimsa started to suggest they try the main entrance, when a low growl caught them both off guard. Turning, they could see a shape moving in the darkness away from the temple, which was lit up with torches outside and in. Another growling bark greeted their ears, and Avia desperately hoped it was a stray dog. But as the creature moved closer to the light, she could see blood red eyes staring at her through the black, and knew for a fact that it was no mortal creature that stalked them.

(A/N: My first ever cliff hanger! Yay! I think I am enjoying this more than I should, but wow that was surprisingly entertaining. I just want to mention that I like using the phrase "well met". It's so polite and all. Also, Amun- Ra is the sun god, the journey a reference to the sun rising and setting each day. Anyway, review the story. I mean it. Review. Now. Press the button. Right this minute.)

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	6. Badass Wildcats

(A/N: I just wanted to put in a note about how much work this is taking. I realized that if I wanted to pull demons into this clash of ideas (this story is beginning to sound like I put a bunch of different stories in a blender and pressed "puree"), I needed to find out what Egyptians thought of them. Apparently, they thought a lot about them- too much, actually. I pulled out the highlights of my "research" and included them in this chapter. Review, or it's going to be a wasted effort and I will have to take out my anger on some unsuspecting innocent)

Disclaimer: For all of you morons who still have no reading comprehension skills, this is a FANFICTION. Which means that I am basing this FICTIONal story off of someone else's work, because I am a FAN (hence the name?) Therefore, some of it is not mine. And to think they insist on including this stuff.

Chapter-uh, what are we up to? Five? Yeah, I think its five. **Chapter Five-** Badass Wildcats Avia and Arimsa backed against the door, trying to get away from the horrible glow of those eyes. Arimsa was still frantically trying to open the gate, but it was obviously not going to budge. Avia's mind was completely blank with terror. Then, the creature walked into the light, and things only got worse.

"What in Ra's name is _that_?" Arimsa whispered hoarsely. Avia could understand his outburst. The thing before them looked vaguely like a dog, but hideously twisted. It was skeletally thin, with block- like ears and a long, barbed tail. Its entire body was a dusty tan, except for its eyes, which glowed an eerie red color in deep- set sockets. Its fangs looked no larger than those of a dog, but the gleam of its eye gave it an air of great power and malevolence.

"I think it's a Seti" Avia whispered back to her brother.

"A what?' he murmured, keeping his eyes on the beast, which was beginning to pace before them.

"A Seti" Avia repeated. "Its like a dog, but sort of…infused with Seth's power. They are very fast and very intelligent. Speak very quietly, I think most of them can understand human language."

"Well, that's all terrific trivia, Avi, but HOW DO WE KILL IT?" her brother asked her hotly.

"I don't think we can" Avia replied. "Only special types of knives will harm demons like that, and obviously we don't have access to any of those."

Arimsa did not look thrilled with that news flash. "Come on, Avi, think. There has got to be a way to get rid of this thing."

Avia struggled to come up with something, anything, but the Seti was beginning to close in on them. "I don't know how to kill it, I was only learning about them yesterday! I only know that they live in the desert and only come out at night!"

"Does that mean they don't like light?" Arimsa asked, eyeing the torch behind them"

"As it's in the light now, I would say no." Avia cut back, panic making her edgy.

The creature gave another one of it's growling barks and began to move forward. The light glinted off of its sharp teeth and claws, making the twins gulp. They watched in grim fascination as it tensed to spring at them, something akin to delight shining in its eyes. It opened its mouth- and a yowl echoed across the temple grounds.

Avia looked around, wondering where the sound had come from- certainly not the Seti, that was for sure. Sensing movement to her left, she turned, deciding that she would rather face whatever it was than keep her back turned. To her amazement, a gigantic black panther sprang into the circle of light, slamming directly into the side of the demon. With another angry snarl, the giant cat swiped at the Seti, grazing its back with it's wickedly sharp claws. The Seti voiced a whimper and began to back off, recognizing its new, much more threatening enemy. Sensing victory, the panther lunged forward after the demon, chasing it from the torchlight. Avia caught a glimpse of bright green eyes and powerful flanks before it disappeared, among animalistic screams and yowls.

"Oh, gods" Arimsa groaned, sinking to his feet with relief. "This is too much for me."

Avia joined her brother on the ground, completely drained after having so much energy coursing through her body. Her mind was still whirling around, trying to make sense of the last few minutes. "What just happened?" she finally asked, giving up on working things out for herself.

"We were almost killed by some sort of monster, which you seemed to recognize, and were saved at the last minute by a wild animal." Arimsa sighed. "I'll give you one thing, you certainly make life interesting."

"Thank you" she remarked dryly, still trying to organize her thoughts. She felt strangely lightheaded, in fact, she had been feeling out of sorts right before the panther appeared. Shaking her head to clear it, she realized that Arimsa had just asked her a question. "What was that?" she asked him.

" I asked how on earth you recognized that thing" Arimsa said. He tried to sound nonchalant, but it was evident to his sister that he was about to pass out with worry.

"From the Book of the Dead. Siete and I started reading it a few weeks ago. It has all kinds of information on things like that Seti."

"Why would you want to read a book like _that_?" Arimsa asked incredulously.

"Siete told me that the Daughters of Isis were an order of women who fight demons- like that Seti. He said if I wanted to know more, we could get started reading the Book. Actually, we're lucky it was only a Seti- there's much more dangerous things to run into, particularly so close to the desert." She was referring to the fact that the temple was on the outskirts of the town, and it was not far from the barren Red Land, or desert.

"What does the desert have to do with anything?" Arimsa asked, sounding more put out every minute. He hated to feel ignorant, and to loose control of a situation- and now, both had happened.

"Demons were created by Seth. They all serve him on some level, even ones that claim to be independent of him. Since Seth is the god of infertility, the desert is considered his home, and his territory. Most of his kind will be found there."

"Why would anyone want to follow him in the first place?" Arimsa demanded. "This sounds very fabricated to me."

"Think about it, Arimsa" Avia replied. "Not everything in the desert is bad. There's gold, amethyst, lapis lazuli, rubies, emeralds, stone quarries- barren it may be, but there is still plenty to tempt someone with."

Arimsa nodded slowly, seeming to understand. Avia could almost see the gears of his mind working to process all the events that had taken place. "Wait a minute" he said, looking, if possible, even more angry, "if you're supposed to be one of the Daughters of Isis, or whatever they're called, doesn't that mean that she wants you to actually _kill_ things like that?"

"I guess it does" Avia replied, trying not to let on that the thought had haunted her ever since she began to read the Book of the Dead. "But come on, lets get inside before anything else happens!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Arimsa did not take the attack by the Seti very well. For weeks afterward, he would jump at the slightest noise and constantly searched dark hallways and gloomy rooms for any sign of threat. At such times, Avia claimed they weren't related. She was mostly unaffected by the attack. She took it as a matter of course and moved on. In her eyes, she might as well get used to it, and that settled the matter. What really bothered her was the panther.

After careful thought about the situation, Avia was positive that no real animal had saved them that night. The way it had appeared out of nowhere and suddenly saved them from their plight was not the usual behavior pattern for dangerous wild beasts. And somehow, the panther had looked wrong to her. She wasn't even sure if it had been its appearance that bothered her, or if she had just sensed that it was not real, but she knew to the depths of her soul that it was no ordinary being that had saved them. The Book spoke of beings called Ani which were able to take on the forms of animals at will, but there was no reason for such a creature to help them; in fact, it should have assisted the Seti in killing them! The problem was a puzzling one, and Avia still had no concrete answer.

That was not all that was bothering her in the days that followed the attack. Avia's lessons with Siete were leaving her with more to think about then just evil demons bent on her destruction. Every time their hands touched, or their legs bumped together, heat coursed through her body. She loved to catch his eye, or to guess what he was thinking, and cherished each and every glance he sent her way. His face, as always, was an unreadable mask, but occasionally she caught him looking at her, and was not ashamed to look back. He never held her eyes for long, but even the brief connections they shared were enough for Avia to formulate her own opinions about his feelings for her.

One day in the beginning of the flood season, about a month after the incident with the Seti, Avia was out by the river banks, this time without the company of her brother. She was idly sitting under the shady tree, thinking about nothing as she dropped clumps of grass into the fast moving water, when she remembered the odd message Isis had given her: that she was able to call the goddess at will. Avia would have thanked the deity to explain herself a bit more, but thought it was worth a try. Standing up, she raised her arms majestically and called out "Isis, come!"

The riverbank remained as calm and as cool as ever. Avia flopped back down to her feet, feeling very foolish. Suddenly, she heard quiet laughter behind her. Whirling to face whomever had the audacity to laugh at her, she came face to face with Siete's chest, as he stood almost a head and shoulders taller than she.

"Trying your hand at invoking the gods, eh?" he asked her mockingly.

"Watch your tone, Siete. I've been known to dunk people twice my size into the river; don't think I can't do it to you" she shot back, mentally telling her breathing rate to calm down. He was just a man, and an annoying man, come to that; there was no reason to get flustered.

"You have got to be kidding me" he laughed back. "You not big enough to see my face without straining, let alone drag me into the water."

Avia simply smiled sweetly, then gripped him around the waist and hoisted him into the river. Spluttering with surprise, Siete seemed to hang just above the water, when he suddenly fell in with a splash. He stared at her in complete confusion from his watery seat, as Avia shook with laughter on the bank.

"How did you… how can you… you're stronger than you look" he finally managed, viewing her with more respect than he had before.

"Yes, it seems like everyone thinks that. It's a good advantage when getting in to arguments and fights with people bigger than me."

"Can you use any weapons?" Siete asked appraisingly. His eyes flickered across her form, seizing her up as an opponent.

"Of course not." Avia told him. "You think they let servants, especially female ones, around armories here? Come on Siete; don't be thick. You're not from _that_ far away."

"Pity. You'd probably be a nice opponent. And why should your sex have anything to do with it? Those Daughters of Isis you are so fond of all use weapons, and that order is entirely female."

Avia's deep eyes were round in her face as Siete clambered out of the river to sit beside her on the sandy patch of earth that dipped toward the water. "They use weapons? And no one stops them?"

"Of course they use weapons, what do you think, they fight off demons unarmed? Or just with magic? That would be nearly impossible, even for them. And I would like to see someone try and stop them!"

"They can use magic as well?" Avia gasped.

"Avi, it's the Daughters of _Isis_. As in the goddess of magic? It's an ability they share with their patron. I don't think they are anywhere near as adept as she is, but they enough power to fend of most would- be attackers."

"What about the weapons? What kind of weapons do they use?" Avia pressed, completely ignoring the supernatural aspect of her apparent heritage. She was much more interested in the mundane ways that Dratia Irisia killed their foes.

"I don't think there is any one type of weapon they use. As I said, I met two personally; one used a battle-axe the size of my head, the other used a spear. I suppose it depends on the particular person involved. I do know, however, that they use such weapons, whatever they may be, with deadly accuracy and skill. It was uncanny how they were in sync with their weapon; they moved so quickly I could barely follow their movements, and neither of those weapons is exactly easy to maneuver."

"What do you think I would use?" Avia asked on an impulse. If she was expected to defend herself, she might as well have some idea of what to use.

"Not an axe or a spear, that's for sure. Too flashy. You're subtle, Avi: you'd want something that's easier to wear and conceal."

Avia gave him an indulgent grin. "How would you know if I'm subtle or not?"

Siete matched her smile with a wicked one of his own. "Oh believe me, I know"

"So you're a mind reader on top of a wealthy noble from some far off land that no one ever seems to name?" Avia asked teasingly.** (A/N: I could make an excuse for this, such as "Well, nobody knows where Siete is from, he's too old", but I will be honest: I am being lazy and don't feel like getting into Siete's past and/or homeland. Sue me.)** It occurred to her, on some level of thinking, that they were flirting, but she ignored this and concentrated on the conversation.

Siete's grin widened. "In a manner of speaking. Now, what was I going to do? Oh yes…" and without any warning at all, he grabbed her arms in a deadlock grip and pulled her, shrieking, into the cold river water.

Avia felt a brief moment of panic as she was forced below the surface, but she quickly relaxed as strong arms brought her back above the water. As she surfaced, she gave a cry of mock outrage, and tried to force him under again. He grabbed her hands midway and forced them easily back toward herself. Avia was left once again to marvel at his strength.

"Siete, don't-" but it was too late; he had already pushed her back under the water. Spluttering, she swam away from him into a deeper part of the river, the water almost up to her shoulders. Sensing his presence behind her, she pretended to be winded by their struggle, waiting until he was almost behind her before backing up quickly, sending him into the frothing current once again.

Avia doubled over with helpless laughter, waiting for him to emerge from the river and seek revenge. But, as she scanned the water where he had gone down, she could see nothing of her unusual friend. Beginning to worry, she started to search for him. Suddenly, the water behind her erupted nosily, and she turned around just in time to see Siete's grinning face as he tackled her to the ground once more. "How did he get behind me?" she wondered, but her thoughts were broken as the wind was sharply knocked from her lungs.

In searching for Siete, she had drifted too close to the riverbank, so when he grabbed her, she had fallen backwards on to the painfully hard ground of the riverbank. Completely winded, Avia lay still as she waited for her breath to return.

"Avi, I'm sorry…" Siete started, but trailed off. Finally gaining her bearings, Avia realized she had fallen backwards, legs splayed apart; and Siete had conveniently fallen right between them.

"Oh" Avia managed, turning slightly red as she became acutely aware of all the places their bodes touched. She moved to get out form underneath him, but was stopped by his hands on her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Siete murmured playfully, leaning in to catch her lips with a quick kiss. He pulled back, smiling at her.

"Nowhere now" she replied with a mischievous grin, pressing her lips back against his as her arms went around his neck.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Arimsa was furious, to say the least, that Avia returned so late from her trip to the river, in the company of Siete, no less. When she finally arrived in the room they shared nearly two hours after she said she would be back, Arimsa continued to give her a full lecture on her behavior. She was a disgrace, she had no common sense, what was she thinking, anything could have happened, ect. Avia wasn't really listening to him; her thoughts were lost in a dreamy haze that left her blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

"Are you listening to me?" Arimsa finally demanded, his patience already tried to its limit.

"Not really" Avia replied, oblivious to her twin's anger.

"I give up! It's pointless to argue with you!" he finally cried, throwing his hands into the air and sitting down on his bed with a thump. Avia shook her head to clear it and realized that some damage control was necessary.

"Aw, come on Rimmy, I'm sorry" she said in a soothing voice, reaching out to take his hand. "Besides I didn't get hurt and nothing unusual happened. All's well that ends well, right?"

"I didn't even want you to go down to the river in the first place. What if one of those Seti was lurking around there? I doubt that any more heroic wild animals are going to come leaping to your rescue."

"Seti are nocturnal, I seriously doubt they are going to come down into a river in broad daylight. And besides, Siete was with me. Nothing would have happened." Avia put in defensively.

"And that's anther thing!" Arimsa burst out. "I don't like that man one bit! It makes no sense: suddenly, he shows up, catches you deliberately breaking the rules, and then offers to teach you to _read_? It makes no sense whatsoever, Avia, and you know it! He's creepy, and we know nothing about him! He could be anyone, and he could have done anything: we don't know, and it bothers me!" Breath coming sharp with anger, Arimsa glared at his sister, looking angrier than she had ever seen him.

"Arimsa…I had no idea you felt that strongly about this." She told him gently. "Why didn't you say something? You know I listen to you."

Arimsa looked calmer than he had moments ago, but he was still obviously angry.

"You were happy" he replied, "and it looked safe enough at first. He just doesn't seem exactly normal to me. I don't know how to describe it. I don't think he wants to hurt you, but I get a feeling of…malevolence whenever I'm around him. Most of the servants have noticed it too. Well, I can't stop you from taking lessons, since I seriously doubt you would let me, but will you please just be careful?"

Avia smiled at her brother, looking relieved. "Of course I'll be careful. I am always careful."

"I know" Arimsa told her, "but I still worry. Everyone else may be under the impression that you are invincible, but I know better. And you missed a meeting with the goddess today."

"She was here? What did she want?"

"Nothing" Arimsa replied. "I called her. I finally figured out how to do it. When I first did it, the other day at the riverbank, I was picturing her, seeing her in my mind's eye. That's how you do it. Picture her and focus on the image, and she comes."

"I don't think I'm going to be very good at this magical stuff" Avia told him with a sigh, flopping down on the bed beside him.

"That's why there's two of us" her twin said, grinning. "If you or I had all of these abilities, instead of split between us, we would be too wonderful to live with."

"I like to think we already are" Avia told him with a grin.

"Oh, you're difficult to live with, that's for sure" Arimsa told her, "but it's not because you're wonderful. No, don't hit me. Tell me what you have been learning with that- Siete."

**(A/N: Here's all that wonderful demon information I had to look up. I thought I would put it in here, so I don't have to have a rambling dialogue in the middle of an epic battle scene to describe what the heck they are fighting. When in doubt, refer to this chapter.)**

"I read about some different kinds of demons last night. There's mut, you may have heard of them: a spirit- type demon, made from the soul of criminals who don't want to enter the underworld. Not very powerful, but they drink blood in order to keep themselves in this world, so they attack innocent people as well. There's also the Walking Dead, which are spirits of the dead that inhabit the bodies of others. They are much harder to defeat, because one the body is destroyed, the spirit of the demon usually remains unharmed. I read about the Messengers of Sekhmet, which are among the weakest of demons, controlled by other forces to do their bidding, mostly spying and tracking. Ani, which are animalistic demons that can change their shape into many different animals, and one other…oh yes. One of the worst. Aldinach. An elemental demon, each one corresponds to a different arcane element. They bring natural disasters, like floods and earthquakes, and can only be defeated- this was odd, I didn't understand it at all- by using the 'superior element'. What is that supposed to mean?"

Arimsa was still trying to take in all the information his sister was spilling out. Realizing she had asked him a question, he replied that he had no idea whatsoever. Just then, the dinner bell rang, and the twins hurried into the hallway.

"So, what are we doing for our birthday this year?" Arimsa asked as they took their seats.

"Our birthday?" Avia asked, beginning to sink back into day dreams.

"Yes, our birthday! Its in three days! Don't tell me you forgot. That's an all-time low, even for you, Avi.

Avia flung some butter at her brother, then admitted that she had forgot. "Good grief, we have to plan something! We'll let our loyal supporters down- or we would, if we had any loyal supporters."

Avia was referring to the fact that each year on the twins birthday, they created a rather catastrophic environment, full of tricks and pranks. Some people thought it was funny, and others referred to it as the "annual apocalypse". Avia could not believe that she had forgotten that their birthday was so close. With the new things in her life, from reading to being attacked by demonic creatures, it was hard to remember the mundane things.

Both twins looked at each other, and displayed equally wicked grins that made their fellow servants quail slightly.

"We'll have to begin planning tonight" they said in unison.

REVIEW!!!


	7. Round Two

**A/N:**Sorry it took so long to update, I suddenly got very apathetic about my story. WEll, here you go; chapter six. Enjoy, and don't forget to **_REVIEW!!!_**

**Disclaimer:** Here we go again with the meaningless information everyone knows already: I am not Amelia Atwater- Rhodes. Therefore, the characters and ideas mentioned in her books are not mine. Things not mentioned in her books are mine. Don't take them.

Chapter Six: Round Two

Avia and Arimsa worked diligently in the days remaining until their birthday to create an environment of complete chaos. After Arimsa's chores were done each day (Avia couldn't be bothered to complete them with so much to look forward to), the two would lock themselves in their room and draft their plans. There were the usual harmless pranks; buckets of water above all the doors, animals set loose inside the temple, wigs switched around during the night, and various other pesky behaviors. But in honor of their eighteen birthday, when both would be considered adults in the community, they decided to plan something special. It would need to be large, creative, and disruptive; something to outdo all their previous pranks combined. Of course, neither had any idea what they would do for such an idea.

Meanwhile, many unusual reports had been coming from all around the temple and the villages along the river. Many of the young men and women of the village had fallen victim to a series of unusual attacks. Most had arrived home very shaken but unharmed, telling wild stories of evil spirits, and the community had collectively ignored the incidents. However, three days before the twin's birthday, a village boy had turned up dead on his return from a neighboring town, and his body bore marks of extreme violence. Suddenly, people who had not bothered to discuss the attacks began to whisper on street corners, as accounts of "attacks" grew more and more far-fetched. What exactly was to be done was still largely up in the air, since no one had actually gotten a good look at whatever was harming the young adults of the community. Suggestions of keeping armed guards on the outskirts of town, or even providing self- defense training for youngsters, were not going anywhere, and the district governor had not yet been contacted, with only vague reports and one fatality. So far, the incident was a topic for good gossip, and nothing more.

However, Avia and Arimsa did not take the news as lightly. It certainly could have been a deranged human causing the recent violence, but the twins were more inclined to believe that it was caused by and older, more dangerous threat. Avia also found it curious that men and women in their prime were the targets of the attacks, when it seemed that small children and the elderly would be easier to take down. The situation left them mystified until Avia finally convinced Arimsa to speak to Siete about it.

Arimsa was far from pleased to be deliberately seeking out a man he was so distrustful of, but after two days of Avia sneaking up behind him and asking him in a very loud voice if he wouldn't reconsider, he finally gave in to his sister's wishes. The eve of their birthday found the twins haunting the hallways of the temple, assumedly making sure all their "preparations" were in place, and as the hours of the night grew deeper, the two casually made their way to Siete's door. After a mental conversation with his conscience, warning him he was making a mistake, and a none- too- gentle kick from Avia, Arimsa swallowed his pride (and his sanity, he privately thought) and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened, and the twins stepped inside.

Despite their friendship, Avia had never been inside Siete's room before. Due to his obvious importance as Ai's friend, Siete occupied a set of rooms, including a sitting room, a bedroom and a storage room for his belongings. The door opened into the sitting room, where Siete had been reclining on a couch. Motioning for them to sit and make themselves comfortable, he ushered them inside and shut the door behind them.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise. I assumed that you two would be creating a chaotic environment for us this evening. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, the chaos is still on, don't worry" Avia answered. "We just needed to stop in here briefly. We wanted to talk to you about these 'attacks' in the town lately."

Siete's look of polite happiness evaporated in an instant, replaced by a hard look that Avia interpreted as signifying deep thought. After a moment that tension spread into an hour, he looked up at them as thought he had forgotten they were there at all. "What did you want to know?" he asked at length.

It was Arimsa who answered this time. "We were wondering if you knew anything about the reasoning behind the violence. We also thought it was odd that only the young adults were hit, and we wanted to see what you thought of it."

Siete looked thoughtful. "Why me?" he asked.

"Hey, don't look at me. I don't even want to be here. It was Avia's idea" Arimsa hastily defended himself.

Siete turned his inquisitive gaze to Avia, who met him eye to eye. "I thought that you might have some insight on this problem. And I was right, wasn't I? This is concerning you as much as it is us, isn't it?"

Siete sighed softly, then beckoned them into his bedchamber. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a bed and a desk, and looked as though it was barely lived in. Moving towards the desk, Siete pulled a piece of paper out of the pouch he carried tied to his belt and spread it out on the table.

"This is a map of the town around the temple community" he explained. "You were right in thinking that this concerns me. I asked a friend to map out the land surrounding this place- he's quite good at that sort of work- and then marked off the areas where each attack has occurred. The red marks indicate a disturbance."

Looking at the map, the twins gasped. It was covered in spots of red, hastily marked on the paper's surface. "I had no idea there were this many!" Arimsa cried. "We thought that there were only a few isolated incidents, not a whole epidemic!"

"The parents and guardians of such rural areas are given to suspicion and superstition over common sense. They believe such events to be the work of an angry god, not a physical threat, and so you wont have heard about many strange things that happen in the town. Had not that young man been killed, I doubt that such attacks would have been brought to your attention at all."

Avia had remained quiet throughout their discussion, gazing fixedly on the map. Street blocks divided the town, each squared section marking a district. Avia let her eyes drift out of focus, taking in the whole picture. Before Arimsa could reply to Siete's statement, she spoke quietly but with force. "Does anyone else notice a pattern here?" she asked.

Arimsa looked at the map, then back at his sister. "Not really. Why?" But Avia's gaze was focused on Siete, who smiled slightly. "I might have seen something. What do you think you see?"

Avia gestured to the small farms at the outskirts of town. "We heard the first reports of violence and fright in the center of the town, but I'm guessing that the first attacks occurred here, in the outlands. They simply weren't reported, because the old wives out there are always seeing strange things, and saw no point in telling anyone. So the first incidents were here, then moved towards the center of town. Last week, that boy was killed returning from the next village to the south- coming from the opposite end of the town than where the attacks started. That means that whatever it is that is hurting people is moving systematically, beginning with one end of the town and then working its way towards the other end, until it reaches the temple."

Arimsa scratched his head in confusion. "I don't see anything significant about that. For all we know, it's an animal just moving through the town. What's the pattern?"

"Animals are not systematic, Arimsa" Avia said cuttingly. "Whatever it is, it's intelligent, and what's more- it's looking for something."

Avia woke on her birthday morning early, feeling an unusual humidity to the air. The room was stifling; suffocating her as she quickly dressed for the day. Shoving Arimsa to get him to wake up, they made their way to the dining hall, to await the victims of their pranks. The hall was already filled with the low buzz of conversation, but much of it quieted to hateful glances as the casualties of the twin's birthday noticed their entrance. Anet, a serving girl whose room was down the hall from Avia and Arimsa, was dripping with water from a bucket placed above her door, while Fala, the cook's apprentice, sported a ghostly white face from the flour that had been carefully planted in her makeup container. Soon Ai, the high priest, stumbled into the room looking livid, the remains of several large eggs still clinging to his sandals, just as Amah rushed in with a string of curses, raving about the mess created by a stray cat that had been let into the kitchen. As they took their seats, Anook gave them a congratulatory grin. So far, their custom- made chaos had been a complete success.

Siete strolled elegantly into the room, looking as fresh and clean cut as ever, to the twins' obvious confusion. They had produced several custom made pranks specifically for the elusive character, but it looked as though he had escaped without any harm done. Avia could have sworn she heard him murmur "nice try" as he passed their table on his way to sit with Ai, but after a minute or two she decided she must have imagined it.

The day continued without any significant events, although everything from "how did this oatmeal get into my bed?" to "why are all my clothes hanging in the courtyard?" to "where did all the garlic for dinner go?" could be heard echoing throughout the corridors.

The last comment had Avia slightly befuddled. "Garlic?" she asked. "We didn't hide the garlic." But she soon forgot it as evening approached and Siete invited both her and Arimsa to his room.

Inside, he had provided an assortment of delicious food, along with a large candle that had been artfully crafted to appear as though there were two, when in reality there was only one. As they were finishing the last of their desert, a guard outside the temple sounded the alert signifying the approach of strangers. A chill fell over Avia's back, and she exchanged a look with her brother. A silent agreement passed between the two, and Arimsa cleared his throat softly.

"Siete, I think my sister and I are wanted downstairs…Siete?"

Siete had been gazing towards the open door, but he cautiously turned towards the twins once more at the sound of Arimsa's question. "Yes, I think you had better go down there. In fact, I will come with you." Without further explanation, Siete stood and lead the way somberly towards the main entrance.

Once downstairs, Avia could immediately see the source of the trouble. The guards had opened the gate for the visitors after they had shown themselves to be unarmed, and now the two cloaked figures were insisting to see the head priest. The guard, whom Avia knew only distantly, was trying to explain that this was quite impossible, as Ai had already retired for the night, but the strangers simply shook their cloaked heads and began moving towards the inner reaches of the temple. Avia and Arimsa exchanged glances, then began to move forward towards the intruders. No sooner had they entered the room when both figures snapped their heads sharply around and stared directly at them. A wave of icy cold spread around the room, and the twins shivered in spite of themselves. With deliberate gestures, the figures drew off the hoods of their cloaks, and all hell broke loose.

A serving girl let out a shrill scream as the two figures rushed forward. They tray she had been holding clattered to the floor and rolled out of sight, quickly followed by the fleeing populace. The guards at the door drew out curved blades and began moving towards the intruders, but Avia could tell instantly that such actions would be useless. Obviously, the guards had not yet gotten a good look at the "guests". Deep set eyes, the same ghostly red as the Seti the twins had encountered at the gate, illuminated deathly pale faces as the figures advanced. One of the beings walked with a slight limp, while the other had a clearly visible scar near the collarbone. Avia recognized them immediately from descriptions in the Book of the Dead; they were the walking Dead, dead bodies being used to house a Spirit under Seth's domain. Mortal weapons would be no good against such a being.

One of the guards rushed forward with a roar, but was repelled by a single hand of the limping one, which slammed the man against the wall, where he collapsed like a marionette with cut strings. The other, far less courageous after the defeat of his comrade, took up a fighting stance and tried to square off with the beasts. Neither paid him any attention, but continued with the same agonizing slowness in the direction of the twins.

"So, what's the plan" Arimsa asked nervously as they approached.

"Er…I have no idea" replied Avia. "I suppose you could try to get rid of them with your mind, but neither of us really has that kind of discipline yet. Such a convenient time for that goddess to refuse to show up."

"Well, we had better get disciplined, and quickly" whispered her brother, eyeing the approaching horrors with disgust. "I doubt they are here to wish us a happy birthday."

Avia felt something being pushed into her hands. "Here" murmured Siete's voice in her ear, "I was going to give these to you with a little more ceremony, but I think they are more appropriate here."

Avia risked a quick glance downward and saw, to her surprise, a pair of beautifully crafted slim daggers, with a wide hilt and deep red garnets set into each pommel. Her name was carved into one of the grips, while the other read "subtle". Despite her inexperience with weaponry, Avia felt an insane strength and confidence flow through her. With a rather savage grin, she stepped forward towards the attackers, with Arimsa right behind her.

Immediately, the creature with the wounded neck leaped forward to meet her challenge. Bearing fangs threateningly at her, it reached out with a long arm and tried to hit her head. Avia ducked under his arm with a whoosh of air, narrowly escaping having her head separated from her body. The wild swing had set the creature off balance, and Avia took advantage of this opportunity to reach under its arm and cut a quick slice across its stomach. AS she had expected, the creature seemed not the notice its wound, and immediately slammed her against the wall. Its eyes glowed menacingly at her as it pulled an arm back for a fatal blow. Thinking quickly, Avia grabbed a torch from the brackets on the wall and pushed it into the Walking Deads face. That seemed to get its attention. With a wounded roar, the body ignited and burned furiously. When the flames subsided and Avia was able to get her bearings, the creature had been reduced to ashes, and the remaining one was on the retreat from Arimsa and Siete. They had worked together to build a wall of fire in front of themselves; Siete grabbing the torches and Arimsa shaping their defense with his mind. Reluctant to let the Walking Dead escape, Avia pointed at the creature and said softly "burn". The fire from Arimsa's wall streamed into her fingers, and from there into the Walking Dead. The beast went up just like his fellow, and Avia made her way towards the other two.

"Not bad Avi" her brother congratulated her. "You seem to be getting the hang of this."

"Hmph. Hardly" she replied, "I only seem to be able to do things like that without thinking."

"How did the knives work out?" asked Siete. "I had them made for you by a friend of mine about a week ago."

"They're perfect. Very subtle." Avia said with a flirtatious smile. Arimsa gave her a hard look and seemed ready to drag the two off to bed when, thankfully, Ai arrived on the scene.

"By all the gods" he exclaimed in a weak voice, "What happened here?"

Avia considered telling the truth, but soon decided against it. "Well, actually its rather hard to believe. Two strangers entered the temple and killed the guards, so Arimsa and I lit them on fire." She informed him with a cheery smile.

"Oh yes. Of course. How ridiculous of me to have not noticed that earlier. Really, Avia, you could at least try to be serious sometimes. Now Arimsa, lets have the real story.

"That is the real story, sir" Arimsa told him. Avia had not presented the best story possible, but it was too late to fix that now. "We used the torches along the wall. Never got a good look at their faces though."

Ai considered this carefully. Finally, looking very weary, he announced that they were to get some sleep and the matter would be discussed further in the morning. With a yawn, the twins made their way up to bed.

After they had washed up and settled down for the night, Avia turned around to face Arimsa, who was in his bed across form hers. "You know what's odd, Arimsa?" She asked him.

"No, what's odd?" he replied.

"That garlic that went missing today. Whenever Amah makes her garlic sauce, the smell spreads all over the temple. But the garlic went missing today- all of it."

"What's so odd about that? Someone probably needed it for something and stole it today because it would just be blamed on us."

"Could be. But you know, Arimsa, one of the best methods of keeping demons and such away is the smell of garlic. Ironic, isn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arimsa asked warily.

"Maybe its nothing" his sister replied. "Then again, maybe there's something wrong with this building. Maybe there's someone helping those-_things_ get close. No use worrying about it now though. Good night."

Avia blew out the candle by her bed, and the room was plunged into darkness.


	8. The Chapter Before the Important Stuff

**A/N: Yes yes its been far too long. Better late than never? I refuse to make meaningless excuses, because that's just tacky. Instead, I'll do a I'm-Very-Sorry Dance for all of you: dances about. I promise there will be plot development soon, I just need to get one more meaningless chapter of exposition (that's this one) before we get on to the good stuff. Right then? Here we go:**

**Redundancy:** Hello, my name is NOT Amelia- Atwater Rhodes. Don't sue, don't steal, ect.

Chapter Seven: The Chapter Before the Important Part 

The day after Avia and friends had defeated the two intruders, Siete found the twins in the courtyard, napping underneath a tree. Moving towards them, he saw the strong resemblance between the two even more pronounced as they slept, faces free of all the stress and cares of their waking hours. Loath though he was for a moment to disturb such obviously relaxing time, he strode over and quickly roused the two from their slumber.

"Good Morning" he greeted them civilly, "you had better get up now. We have some work to do."

Avia felt betrayed by her rude awakening. "Work? Who died and made you the taskmaster? We're already going to have enough work trying to explain to Ai and the rest of the temple what happened last night, and you want to pile more on top of that? You inhuman monster!"

Siete raised and eyebrow then shook his head ruefully. If she only knew. "Work on those little toys I gave you last night. Obviously, you can use them, but only just. You need practice, and some sort of education on the subject. I can teach you. As for Arimsa, you really need to learn how to control your…abilities better. I'm not always going to be around to do damage control you know."

Avia stared; had that been an attempt at humor? Shrugging, she stood and followed the men into a more secluded corner of the courtyard. She pulled out her knives, which she had thought prudent to carry with her, and stood awkwardly next to Siete, unsure of what would come next. Moving closer to her, Siete gently nudged her feet and torso into a better stance, then instructed her to practice moving into it. He then removed two knives similar in make to her own and began flexing his wrists to limber up. A low humming noise filled her mind as she watched him move. Catching his glance, she did as he had instructed and began to move, and the noise retreated until it was barely audible.

After checking her position and issuing several corrections, Siete set Avia with some simple lunging actions to practice while he worked with Arimsa on the basics of creating a protective wall of energy around oneself. For a moment, a fleeting thought tugged at Avia's consciousness that something strange was going on, but it retreated below her awareness as quickly as it had come. Without thought, she mindlessly fell into the routine of repetitive gesture.

Over the next hour or so, Siete drilled the twins endlessly in the fundamentals of their respective crafts. When Arimsa simply could not concentrate any longer, the drill sergeant announced that it was time for a break. Groaning with exhaustion, the three sat down next to the pool and began recuperating.

"Will this always be so tiring?" asked Arimsa in an uncharacteristically whining tone.

"Probably not" answered Siete with a slight grin, "as you practice more, your strength and control will grow. You might be tired for a long time before your body adjusts though. " With a sigh, he leaned back against the tree, shifting slightly so as not to lean against the handles of his knives. Avia rubbed her ear, the sound was back again, high- pitched and just above the frequency on which she normally heard things.

"Avi, lend me a knife. I'll bet you I can hit that palm, dead center" Arimsa said after a bit, stretching and rising to his feet. Avia carelessly handed over the knife and moved closer to Siete in Arimsa's absence, resting her head against his shoulder. Arimsa threw the knife, a popular pastime among the temple children, and managed to hit his desired target, but off to the side. He marched to the tree and retrieved the knife, then walked back to Avia and Siete, looking slightly chagrined at their boldness.

Throwing again, he came closer this time, although still slightly listing to the left. Exasperatingly getting the knife again, he returned and threw it a final time towards the palm. However, he had failed to notice a servant of the temple crossing the courtyard with a bucket for water, presumably to fill for dinner. The knife spiraled towards her as the twin's and Siete watched horrified. At the last minute, the woman stumbled slightly, and the knife rebounded off the metal sides of the jug and returned towards Arimsa **(A/N: The authoress would appreciate no one questioning the physical improbability of this event. It could happen. Anything could happen.)** He back-stepped quickly, narrowly avoiding the spinning blade, and followed its flight path with haunted eyes as it continued straight towards the couple behind him. Things happened so quickly Arimsa could not be sure what had happened, but one minute the knife was headed straight for them, the next a confused looking Avia grasped it in her hand, hilt first.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then, Siete carefully removed an arm from around Avia and plucked the knife from her hand. "Avi, exactly how did you do that?" he asked in a tone too quiet for comfort.

"I…heard it" Avia answered after a pause. Realizing by the men's blank stares that this meant little to nothing to them, she proceeded to elaborate. "The humming got rather loud when Arimsa started throwing the knives, and when it came at me, it shrieked, so I knew that the knife was coming, and I just…knew where it was, so I grabbed it."

Avia told the two about the noises she had been hearing, describing them as best she could. Arimsa looked as though he was overwhelmed with the news, then his face suddenly relaxed. "You know, I should be used to this by now. First with the Goddess appearing left and right, then the undead monsters following us around, sure, now you can hear knives in your head! Why not? Tomorrow, if we're lucky, maybe you can predict the future, and I'll be able to win a round of cards with Anook!"

Siete, however, just looked thoughtful. He stood, then in a fluid movement almost to fast to follow, drew his other dagger from the sash at his waist and thrust it at Avia. With a yelp, the girl threw herself sideways in the nick of time, managing to avoid the swipe of his blade. Siete nodded as though something had been confirmed, then stopped to help Avia off of the ground.

Not about to be undone, Avia gripped the offered hand and dragged Siete to the ground with her. "And what the hell was that for?" she exclaimed in a livid tone, "I could have been killed!"

Siete gave her an indulgent smile, which did nothing to help her mood. "I wanted to see if you really could tell what a blade was doing, and I was right, you can. And I wouldn't have followed through with that strike if I had thought you couldn't dodge it somehow. Do you realize what you can do? You can hear the knife moving, and somehow interpret the sound… you could be a matchless fighter, with a little hard work and practice. "

Avia groaned. Hard work and practice…the two words she most hated to hear in the same sentence.

…………………………time passage……………………………

Over the next year, hard work and practice turned out to be the anthem of the twin's activities. Avia mastered the lessons of the Book of the Dead as best she could, teaching Arimsa what she knew as she went along. After completing the Book, the two would stalk the edges of the desert at dusk, searching for demonic prey to hunt down and destroy. With their nightly vigil, attacks in the region decreased dramatically, until many had forgotten that they had ever been. The goddess had been mysteriously absent since the time Arimsa had summoned her to his room, and this bothered the twins. Neither had been able to summon her again, try as they might.

Avia and Arimsa continued their lessons with Siete as well, although Arimsa generally preferred to work alone. Siete and Avia took to sparring together soon after their initial trial with the knives, and Avia's skills soon passed from competent to proficient. Siete began to teach her the use of the sword as well, feeling that it would benefit her to have a weapon with more distance than her slim daggers. Avia did not enjoy these lessons as much as her knifing ones, but still found an almost instinctual pleasure in the grip of a hilt against her palm. The sword was not as "subtle" as her daggers, and suited the more firey side of her nature.

Arimsa was expected to obtain work in the community now that he was eighteen, and began working alongside the twin's friend Anook in a smithy close to the temple. Arimsa preferred not to speak of his work with Avia, instead gifting her with his latest creations to show the progression of his skill. She had acquired from him sheathes that matched her daggers and could be slipped inside the sleeves of her tunic, clips for her hair, goblets…a vast showcase of skill with no particular theme. Arimsa took his work seriously, saying that he found the mundane tasks to be calming. Late at night, however, Avia would often wake and gaze across the room with bleary eyes to find her brother practicing other skills. Some nights, he would make flames dance across the room; others, wind to rush in through the windows and cool his brow from the heat which rolled from the desert. He could conjure balls of dim blue light to hang about his head and light his work, and seemed to be able to keep others away from their room while he worked during the day. Avia would sometimes help him with his magical endeavors, lending him her strength and control of the powers they raised, and was certainly in control of her abilities, but she was no where near as proficient as Arimsa. She was mostly uninterested in her supernatural skills, preferring to concentrate on perfecting her fighting skills.

Avia concentrated too strenuously on her work to have time for Siete's apparent interest in her. But even she could not fail to meet glances held far too long and lingering, or enjoy sweet kisses when she was able to ditch Arimsa. Their lives fell into a rhythm everyone grew numb too, and the community largely held that Avia and Arimsa had finally grown up and left the pranks of childhood behind. Arimsa's work in the forge was well known, as was the friendship between Avia and Siete, and so it seemed as though the twin's had a future prepared for them. So it seemed.

**(A/N: Voila! Things may seem a little rushed…which might have something to do with the fact that they were rushed. I really just wanted to get this chapter up so I can move on with the story. I promise plot development in the next chapter. Now pretty please with whatever you want on top, REVIEW! REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!)**


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